Superman roller coaster stalls, leaves 12 stranded in the air

Six Flags' newly built Superman roller coaster stalled Sunday afternoon, stranding a dozen riders 150 feet in the air for almost two hours.

The Superman Ultimate Flight roller coaster stopped at about 2:30 p.m. at the top of the ride, said Six Flags Discovery Kingdom spokeswoman Nancy Chan, according to the Associated Press. Vallejo, Calif., firefighters were called and arrived at the amusement park at about 3 p.m. A Six Flags crane — complete with a large bucket to carry rescuers — was at the ready, and two firefighters and a park mechanic were lifted in the bucket to give water bottles to the stranded riders.

The AP also reported that Fire Battalion Chief Ray Jackson said firefighters were prepared to take riders down using the bucket, but the mechanic was eventually able to restart the ride, which went backward and lowered the dozen people safely to the ground.

The local paper also reported that the cause of the stall was unclear. Chan said the ride would be closed for a "thorough safety inspection," adding that it will be reopened when the inspection is completed, at an undetermined time.

"If (a ride) stops, it usually detects something and it stops for safety reasons," Chan told the Times-Herald.

Chan also said the theme park staff had collected the riders' names and contact information, but she didn't know if they would receive any compensation for the incident.

"I don't know what compensation, if any, would be given," she said to the paper. "I can't speculate."

Fox News reported that the Superman roller coaster was checked Sunday morning, and no problems were found. The ride opened June 30 and is 15 stories tall at its highest point. It reaches speeds of 62 mph.

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